Store It, Catalog It, Squirrel It Away

What advice have you been told so often that you can't count thetimes? If my father-in-law told me this once, he told me at least a hundredtimes (not exaggerating): "Always put names and dates on the back of yourphotos. Do it right away." Good, time-tested advice, but how many of us actuallydo it? (I followed his advice part of the time, but too many of my photos arenow aging, dateless and nameless.)

Of course now there are technological advancements, such as automatic datestamps on photos, to help us with those tasks. Also, new digital storagetechnology can make record keeping easier, if you set up manageable digitalfolders and logs.

A lady from southern Indiana who readsAnother Wayin the Orange CountyPublisher asked whether I had ever written anything on the importance of keepingfamily history alive and accessible by organized scrapbooks and photo albums.This woman, Mavis Jean Doan, has more than 70 albums! People come to her whenthey need to know something, or need photos for a history book, or photos oftheir families. She wrote, "Our church celebrated its 100th anniversary lastmonth and in just the fifty-three years I have lived here, I had enough historyand photos [on hand] to help make things interesting." Now, 70 books may seem abit much to keep up with, and it makes Mrs. Doan your above average chroniclerof local history, but what a gift such people are to the rest of us! While Ipreach the gospel of "clear it out, get rid of it" on one hand, I'm sentimentalenough and value history enough to squirrel away my own fair share of photos,memorabilia and clippings.

Scrapbooking has become a big, expensive business and many people haveparticipated in the "creative memories" type parties that give people ideas fordecorating scrapbooks. While those may be fun and very meaningful for some,creating albums doesn't have to be expensive. You can keep albums at whateverlevel your budget allows.

Old letters and postcards are other items that Mrs. Doan encourages saving. Ourfamily was thrilled to be offered a packet of letters written by my husband'sfather (who is now deceased) while he was in the service during World War II.One day i unexpectedly received a call from a localAnother Wayreader who saidshe needed to downsize and give away her treasured mementos from the past, andwondered if the Davis boys would want letters their father had written. To bemore precise, these were letters he had "dictated" to someone with betterpenmanship, as was the habit of many servicemen. They were not "love" letters assuch; she was merely a friend of my father-in-law's and was writing to him outof friendship and patriotism. These letters offer interesting insights into hispast, and the life of a serviceman stationed in Hawaii, (even though strategicparts had been cut out by the military censors).

Mrs. Doan suggests that even if you no longer want old photos or post cards, consider taking them to your local library. Someone will likely want them. Takeold family photos you no longer want to give away at a family reunion. Mycousin, when moving to a retirement facility (obviously way older than me!), didjust that. I was excited to obtain a great 8x10 black and white photo of myfather and his entire family that I hadn't seen before.

Mrs. Doan also comments, "How often after older family members die, do peoplefrequently say, 'Oh I wish I had asked... " She reminds us: "Do so, now! Listento and write down family stories. Hearing elderly people reminisce can be fascinating."

Why not take Mrs. Doan's advice today and call, visit, or write to that favoriteaunt, grandfather or great uncle who has influenced your faith journey? They'lllove you for it, and you'll be left with fewer regrets in the future.

If you're interested, there is more information about:
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Contributed by Melodie Davis from her weekly columnANOTHER WAY (http://www.thirdway.com/aw/).For information on using Another Way in a local newspaper, contact:ANOTHER WAY, 1251 Virginia Ave., Harrisonburg, VA 22801-2497; or call1-800-999-3534; fax at 540-434-5556; or email me at:Melodie@mennomedia.org